Derek Lam
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The Label
Derek Lam began his career at Michael Kors; accordingly, his clothes echo Kors’ desire to reinvent American sportswear without making it too scary or directional. Lam’s silhouettes are precise and sharp, and he often chooses stiffer fabrics that hold their shape rather than mold to the wearer’s body. Recently expanded to include both Fall/ Winter and Spring/Summer ready-to-wear, the Lam brand also launched a resort-wear collection that brings his love of classic shapes and pretty patterns to sundresses and silk robes.
The Look
Pretty, girly fabrics backed by clean, crisp silhouettes. Signature pieces include raw silk sheath dresses with plunging necklines, wide-leg trousers in various wools and dainty cashmere pea coats cinched with stiff silk belts.
The Designer
After graduating from Parsons School of Design, Derek Lam spent twelve years working under mentor Michael Kors, first on his ready-to-wear lines and later as a head designer at KORS by Michael Kors. In 2002, Lam stuck out on his own; with business partner Jan-Hendrik Schlottmann, he debuted his eponymous line at Olympus Fashion Week—and buyers from Barney’s and Bergdorf Goodman placed orders almost immediately. In 2004, Lam won the Ecco Domani Fashion Foundation Award for new designers, and was also nominated for the CFDA/ Vogue Fashion Fund for emerging designers. While he lost to Proenza Schouler, he was nominated for the CFDA Perry Ellis Swarovski Award for new designers in 2005—and this time, he won.
